UK to transfer Stone Cloak electronic warfare technology rights to Ukraine for domestic drone production

The United Kingdom will transfer full intellectual property rights and a production licence for its Stone Cloak electronic warfare system to Ukraine, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on July 27, 2026, during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a Royal Navy base. The compact, tablet-sized device mounts on attack drones to jam Russian radar networks, rendering them practically invisible to enemy air defences. Ukraine will become the first country authorised to manufacture the system domestically at scale, shifting the relationship from equipment deliveries to sovereign production capability. The UK Ministry of Defence had already supplied thousands of units to Ukrainian forces. Zelenskyy, the first foreign leader to visit Burnham since he entered Downing Street, also met with over 200 Ukrainian service members training in Britain under Exercise Sea Breeze. Stone Cloak was developed under the UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership and battlefield data gathered in Ukraine will feed directly into Project Brakestop, Britain's programme to develop low-cost cruise missiles with a range of at least 600 km.

Stone Cloak technology transfer

• ▪The United Kingdom will transfer intellectual property rights and a production license for the Stone Cloak electronic warfare system to Ukraine.
• ▪The United Kingdom plans to integrate Stone Cloak technology into its future long-range strike systems, including Project Brakestop low-cost cruise missiles.
• ▪The Stone Cloak system is a compact, tablet-sized electronic warfare device developed under secrecy by the UK Ministry of Defence, designed to be mounted on drones to jam enemy radar and blind Russian air defense networks, making Ukrainian UAVs practically undetectable.
• ▪The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence has already supplied thousands of Stone Cloak units to Ukrainian forces to support drone operations.

UK-Ukraine defence cooperation

• ▪Project Brakestop was launched by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence in November 2024 to develop low-cost cruise missiles with a range of at least 600 kilometres and a 200–300 kg warhead.
• ▪Under Project Brakestop, three prototypes are being developed: MBDA UK's Crossbow (vision-based navigation), Rotron Aerospace's SkyLance (propeller-driven, extended range), and MGI Engineering's Tiger Shark (Formula 1–derived engineering); at least one system is expected to be delivered to Ukraine by end of 2026.
• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy became the first foreign leader received by Prime Minister Andy Burnham at a Royal Navy base, where both leaders also met with over 200 Ukrainian service members training in Britain under Exercise Sea Breeze.
• ▪The United Kingdom has committed approximately £25 billion in total support to Ukraine since February 2022, including £16 billion in direct military assistance.

Ukrainian drone strikes

• ▪Ukrainian forces conducted a drone strike on one of Russia's largest oil refineries in the Ural Mountains, causing a fire to break out.
• ▪Ukrainian drone strikes targeted warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's version of Amazon, affecting the Russian economy and central bank growth forecasts.

Zelenskyy domestic political challenges

• ▪Mykhailo Fedorov, formerly Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, had been leading an anti-corruption crackdown prior to his dismissal by President Zelenskyy.
• ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Mykhailo Fedorov from his position as Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

Western anti-corruption pressure

• ▪Officials from the United Kingdom and the United States privately pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not to abandon the country's anti-corruption crackdown.
• ▪United States officials expressed concern that the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov could prompt a backlash from Elon Musk regarding the Starlink satellite system.